Method of using 5-hydroxybenzimidazole compounds for reducing transpiration in plants

Abstract

It has been discovered that certain hydroxybenzimidazole compounds provide beneficial characteristics to certain agricultural species. Treatment of certain plants with an effective amount of the hydroxybenzimidazole compounds of the present invention has been observed to cause an increase in water use efficiency of plants thus treated, which reduces plant transpiration. Hydroxybenzimidazole compounds of the present invention are thus beneficial and useful for improving plant resistance to drought.

We claim: 
     
       1. A method of using a compound of the structural formula ##STR3## wherein: nMa connotes that the hydroxybenzimidazole derivative structurally presented above is a mineral acid salt; n is an integer 1 through 6; MA is a mineral acid selected from the group consisting of HNO 3 , H 2  SeO 4 , HClO 4 , HBrO 4 , HMnO 4 , HSO 3  F, H 2  SO 4 , H 2  S 2  O 7 , H 3  PO 4 , H 3  BO 3 , HF, HCl, HBr, HI, and mixtures thereof: R is hydrogen, dimethylamino, piperidinyl or morpholino: and R 1  is hydrogen or dimethylaminomethyl, comprising applying a drought resistance enhancing amount of at least one of the above mentioned compounds to plants or seeds in need of having their drought resistance increased.   
     
     
       2. The method of claim 1 wherein n is 1 or 2 and the mineral acid is HBr or HCl. 
     
     
       3. The method of claim 1 wherein R is dimethylamino and R 1  is hydrogen. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 1, wherein the seeds are those of legume and grain crops. 
     
     
       5. The method of claim 1, wherein the seeds are those of woody species. 
     
     
       6. A method of using a compound of the structural formula ##STR4## wherein: nMa connotes that the hydroxybenzimidazole derivative structurally presented above is a mineral acid salt; n is an integer 1 through 6; MA is a mineral acid selected from the group consisting of HNO 3 , H 2  SeO 4 , HClO 4 , HBrO 4 , HMnO 4 , HSO 3  F, H 2  SO 4 , H 2  S 2  O 7 , H 3  PO 4 , H 3  BO 3 , HF, HCl, HBr, HI, and mixtures thereof: R is hydrogen, dimethylamino, piperidinyl or morpholino: and R 1  is hydrogen or dimethylaminomethyl, comprising applying a drought resistance enhancing amount of at least one of the above mentioned compounds to trees in need of having their drought resistance increased.   
     
     
       7. The method of claim 6 wherein n is 1 or 2 and the mineral acid is HBr or HCl. 
     
     
       8. The method of claim 6 wherein R is dimethylamino and R 1  is hydrogen.